My GHD straighteners have never done me wrong. They’ve been with me through thick and thin; I first purchased them in my heavy-partying uni days, when my hair length was down to my elbows. A haircut to a short bob then lob later, I’m now growing my hair just-a-bit longer and my GHD’s have been here every step of way.

Straight hair is my go-to during the week, then I make a little more effort with some curls at the weekend. But I started to grow tired of the GHD curls I’d mastered with a straightener. I was hunkering after that cool curl/wave which is so seriously trendy right now. Picking up a number of cheap (around or under £30) curlers I found they just weren’t cutting it. But, my GHD’s straighteners had never let me down…

GHD Curve Soft Curl Tong: What you need to know

32mm barrelIf you’re looking for soft, beachy waves then you’re probably attracted to the GHD Soft Curl tong because of it’s barrel size. It’s slightly thicker than a usual curl tong in order to achieve a looser curl/wave.

TemperatureWhat’s not usual with these tongs is the heat setting; the GHD Soft Curl tong goes up to 185 degrees and no higher. Many other tongs push past 200, or allow you to choose a heat setting. It’s 185 or nothing with the GHD Curve Soft Curl Tong, which GHD says is the optimum styling temperature and will protect your hair from heat. But this also means you’ll need to choose hair products wisely for prep and finishing. (More on that in a bit.)

Spring activated lever
A lever in the way might put some off these tongs, but I quite often leave the lever open when styling – you’ll see in the video.)

Quick to heatJust like my GHD straighteners, the soft curl tong takes no time at all to heat up and is ready to go in under a minute! What’s rather smart too is the ‘sleep mode’ – if you don’t use these GHD tongs for 30 minutes then they’re turn off automatically.

Prep & Finish

As I mentioned, it’s important which products to use to prep and finish your hair when using the GHD Soft Curl Tong. When I first starting using the tongs I grew disheartened that my curl wasn’t lasting long. Then when I discovered the heat was only 185 degrees (I say only as if 185 degrees is a heat to be laughed at; warning, it is not) and understood why.

This heat is perfectly fine for some hair types and the curl will have staying power. For me and my thick hair, which can usually take the heat (and hotter) I need extra help, namely from a few products.

On freshly washed hair, I spray and comb in Bumble & Bumble’s Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil. This really smooths my hair that is prone to dryness, it’s a primer too which is the first step in keeping the style locked in.

After styling I lightly spray Aussie’s Shine & Hold Hairspray then leave to set for at least 10 minutes. After my hair has cooled, I go in with the Bumble & Bumble Surf Infusion Spray – again, a godsend for thick, dry hair that needs gloss and not texturising, and then I scrunch in some TIGI Bedhead Manipulator.

How to use GHD Soft Curl Tong

I’ve seen a number of a ways you can use the GHD Soft Curl Tong, which is good for versatility. But, for this tutorial I’ll focus on how I’ve been using it recently:

After combing in a hair primer, I curl by section due to my hair’s thickness. Whilst this wouldn’t be compulsory for thinner hair, it’ll create a ‘layered’ look.

I’m not too regimental in sizing up the strands of hair I curl, as you’ll see in the video at the bottom of this post, I usually take strands that 2-3cm long.

I curl each strand away from my face and point the tongs vertically down the best I can.

I hold the curl a little longer (up to 10 seconds) in my hair than GHD advise to (5-7 seconds), because of my thicker hair and to achieve a more defined curl which has less chance of falling out!

When I first started using this tong the curls would drop out fairly soon after I’d brushed my hair. So, after a few tries I now leave my curls to ‘set’ for around 10 minutes, before going in with my fingers to gently brush them out.

I then use extra ‘holding’ products to make sure the curl is ‘locked in’.

Video

Although it’s taken me a while to get to grips with these tongs, it’s taught me how versatile they could be. I’ve seen other blog posts and video tutorials to use these tongs in a different way completely, so I have a lot of different tips and tricks to try. (Something I’m looking forward to!)

Check out my video on the GHD Curve Soft Curl Tong below and let me know if you’ve tried it yet in the comments section!

This post is NOT sponsored, it’s not an AD and I’ve not been paid in anyway – honestly, I just wanted to review the GHD Soft Curl Tong.

H E L L O 👋🏻

I'm Emma, I'm a Kent girl who's a year away from a new decade (my 30s!). I'm a homeowner along with my boyfriend and enjoy blogging about that, other lifestyle tidbits, travel and practical beauty. Welcome to my little corner of the internet!